Defense lets down Chargers as Dolphins win season opener, 36-34
The new era of Chargers’ offense under coordinator Kellen Moore couldn’t survive more defensive issues under head coach Brandon Staley.
Miami amassed 538 total yards and averaged 8.5 per play in a 36-34 season-opening Dolphins win at SoFi Stadium.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished 28 of 45 for 466 yards and three touchdowns, and Tyreek Hill caught 11 passes for 215 yards and two scores.
The Dolphins took their 36-34 lead on a four-yard pass from Tagovailoa to Hill with 1:45 to play. Jason Sanders, however, missed the extra point, setting up the Chargers for a potential game-winning field goal attempt.
Justin Herbert sacked twice on Chargers’ final possession in loss
🏈 Dolphins 36, Chargers 34 — FINAL
Justin Herbert and the Chargers couldn’t go anywhere on their final possession, with Zach Sieler and Jaelan Phillips recording the Dolphins’ first sacks of the day to secure the win.
Tyreek Hill touchdown catch puts Dolphins ahead late
🏈 Dolphins 36, Chargers 34 — 1:45 left in the fourth quarter
Tua Tagovailoa connected with Tyreek Hill on a four-yard touchdown pass to put the Dolphins back into the lead.
But kicker Jason Sanders missed the extra point, making it just a two-point game as Justin Herbert and the Chargers go to work with two timeouts.
The Hill touchdown came at the end of an eight-play, 75-yard drive.
Chargers extend their lead late in the fourth quarter
🏈 Chargers 34, Dolphins 30 — 3:53 left in the fourth quarter
Cameron Dicker made a 25-yard field goal to extend the Chargers’ lead heading into the final minutes. The field goal came at the end of a 13-play, 68-yard drive for the Chargers.
Chargers hold a one-point lead in the fourth quarter
🏈 Chargers 31, Dolphins 30 — 10:03 left in the fourth quarter
Miami’s Jason Sanders kicked a 45-yard field goal to make it one-point game heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation. The field goal came at the end of a nine-play, 48-yard drive orchestrated by Tua Tagovailoa.
Chargers march down field and re-take lead in fourth quarter
🏈 Chargers 31, Dolphins 27 — 14:00 left in the fourth quarter
Joshua Kelley scored on a two-yard run to push the Chargers ahead once again.
The touchdown came at the end of a 10-play, 75-yard drive that included a 35-yard pass from Justin Herbert to Austin Ekeler.
Dolphins take lead on Tyreek Hill’s 35-yard touchdown catch
🏈 Dolphins 27, Chargers 24 — 2:12 left in the third quarter
Tua Tagovailoa connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill to push the Dolphins back into the lead.
On the possession before the touchdown, Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou sacked Justin Herbert at the one-yard line, with the Chargers narrowly avoiding giving up a safety. The Chargers were deep in their own zone following an interception by J.C. Jackson in the end zone.
Chargers re-take lead in the third quarter
🏈 Chargers 24, Dolphins 20 — 9:16 left in the third quarter
Justin Herbert scored on a one-yard keeper to cap an 11-play, 75-yard drive and push the Chargers back into the lead.
An 11-yard run by Austin Ekeler and a 14-yard run by Joshua Kelley helped fuel the drive for the Chargers.
Dolphins capitalize on Chargers penalty to take halftime lead
🏈 Dolphins 20, Chargers 17 — HALFTIME
A 30-yard pass interference penalty on J.C. Jackson allowed Miami to take a halftime lead over the Chargers.
The Dolphins moved ahead on a 41-yard field goal by Jason Sanders with no time left.
Miami took over with only nine seconds remaining on its own 25-yard line. Tua Tagovailoa hit Jaylen Waddle for a 22-yard gain, setting up one final shot for a deep connection.
Tagovailoa’s try for Erik Ezukanma fell incomplete at the Chargers’ 23, but Jackson was called for pass interference.
The Chargers were fortunate to be only down three after two quarters, given how much their defense struggled.
Tagovailoa finished the half 16 of 26 for 264 yards. Miami gained 326 total yards and averaged 8.8 yards per play. The Dolphins had 20 first downs to the Chargers’ 12.
Cameron Dicker’s 50-yard field goal with nine seconds left pulled the Chargers even 17-17.
Dolphins retake the lead, Mike Williams exits game
🏈 Dolphins 17, Chargers 14 — 1:42 left in the second quarter
Miami regained the lead on a one-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to River Cracraft.
The connection ended a 12-play, 80-yard drive as the Dolphins continued to shred the Chargers’ defense.
Miami has 304 total yards and 18 first downs, moving the ball very well on four of its five possessions so far.
The Chargers finished the half without wide receiver Mike Williams, who left the game midway through the second quarter to be evaluated for a possible head injury.
Austin Ekeler run leads to Justin Herbert’s first TD pass of 2023
🏈 Chargers 14, Dolphins 10 — 9:07 left in the second quarter
Austin Ekeler’s 55-yard run led the Chargers regaining the lead on a one-yard pass from Justin Herbert to tight end Donald Parham Jr.
Ekeler broke through right up the middle and used a deft stiff arm for additional yardage.
After the run — which gave the Chargers first-and-goal at the Miami nine-yard line - Herbert appeared to connect with Keenan Allen for a score. But Allen was ruled to have landed just short of the goal line.
After a run by Ekeler gained nothing, Herbert hit Parham for the lead with 9:07 remaining in the first half.
Dolphins take lead on field goal in second quarter
🏈 Dolphins 10, Chargers 7 — 11:43 left in the second quarter
Miami put together its third straight ground-covering series before settling for a 23-yard field goal by Jason Sanders to move ahead with 11:43 remaining in the first half.
The Dolphins went 72 yards in eight plays, the Chargers holding them out of the end zone when safety Derwin James Jr. broke up a pass intended for tight end Durham Smythe just beyond the goal line.
Miami has gone 69, 75 and 72 yards on its first three possessions, moving inside the Chargers’ 10-yard line each time.
Dolphins tie game on Raheem Mostert touchdown
🏈 Dolphins 7, Chargers 7 — 1:15 left in the first quarter
Miami came right back after the Chargers’ opening-drive touchdown to even the score on a two-yard run by Raheem Mostert.
The Dolphins moved 75 yards in nine plays, carving up the Chargers’ defense for a second consecutive series.
The big play of the possession was a 24-yard Tua Tagovailoa pass to River Cracraft.
Miami also benefited on a face-masking call against edge rusher Joey Bosa. The penalty was Bosa’s second of the game. He was called for offside on the Dolphins’ first series.
Austin Ekeler scores first touchdown of the season for Chargers
🏈 Chargers 7, Dolphins 0 — 4:39 left in the first quarter
The first series of Kellen Moore’s tenure as offensive coordinator ended with a touchdown as the Chargers went 94 yards in 14 plays, with Austin Ekeler scoring on a one-yard run.
The possession followed a bit of good fortune when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa mishandled the snap and Chargers defensive lineman Nick Williams recovered, killing a scoring chance for Miami.
The Dolphins had first-and-goal at the two-yard line when the turnover occurred.
The Chargers then marched the other way, Justin Herbert converting a pair of third downs with his feet and Ekeler scoring on third-and-goal.
The big play of the run-dominated drive was Herbert and Keenan Allen hooking up for a 36-yard gain. Otherwise, 12 of the 14 plays were runs that picked up 58 yards total.
Freddy Falcon, Sir Purr and a bunch of huge-headed dudes: A definitive guide to NFL mascots
A streaking cat.
A zipping wolf.
Lots of dudes with big heads — and even bigger chins.
A walking dolphin.
A butt-bouncing bear.
An elf.
There’s all kinds of wacky characters in the fraternity of NFL mascots, each with their own personality, quirks and charm. One thing every one of those anthropomorphic animals and fake humans have in common is their undying passion and devotion to the teams they represent.
Season under scrutiny: Can Brandon Staley provide ‘compass’ for Chargers championship?
Brandon Staley was talking about the Super Bowl the other day, and why not?
Anything short of that and the story probably remains the same, about how the Chargers are cursed and how Staley isn’t the coach who can change that.
To his credit, Staley has never stuck his head in the sand and pretended to not hear what is said by everyone around him.
Two years ago, as a rookie head coach, he addressed the 50-year-old elephant in the room and spoke to his players about the Chargers’ history of choking.
Isaiah Spiller among the Chargers’ inactives vs. Miami
The Chargers’ inactives against Miami include linebacker Daiyan Henley and edge rusher Chris Rumph II, both of whom entered the weekend listed as doubtful because of hamstring injuries.
In a bit of a surprise, running back Isaiah Spiller also is inactive. The Chargers opted to keep undrafted rookie running back Elijah Dotson active instead. Dotson does offer some insurance as a kick returner behind Derius Davis.
The other inactives are offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes, safety AJ Finley and defensive lineman Christopher Hinton.
Both Henley and Rumph are projected to be significant special teams contributors this season. Rumph also will have a role as a rotational piece behind starters Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
How a grueling cancer battle taught Brandon Staley he can overcome Jacksonville fiasco
The losses were dramatic, certainly, even historic, the Chargers’ last two seasons ending in ways difficult to conceive.
But Brandon Staley is one who can relate, can relate to being repeatedly crushed, to being finished in both mind and body. Can relate to the pain of progress.
He’s a fighter who, still today, summons the competitive acid that swells inside a gut trying to accept losses suffered on an AAU hoops court as a 12-year-old.
And he’s a son, too, a son who watched his mother somehow cut daylight through the impossible — a winding, gnarled cancer battle that he’d eventually have to face himself.
Derwin James Jr. insists the Chargers will finally feature a better defense
All eyes over the next four-plus months will be on the Chargers’ offense, where the NFL’s highest-paid player will give life to the new coordinator’s celebrated scheming.
Just don’t lose sight of the defense, which almost certainly will have a greater impact on the team’s success.
Derwin James Jr., the league’s highest-paid safety, has the situation squarely in focus, the three-time Pro Bowler insisting that this fall the Chargers — finally — will be a better defense.
And what will be the cause of such a revival?
Nothing has changed for Justin Herbert except for bank account and expectations
The contract extension — and all its zeroes, history and possibilities — never came up.
The NFL’s biggest deal in history was so close to being reality that the quarter-of-a-billion-dollar beast might as well have been sitting right there with them at the charming eatery in equally charming Florence, a town of 9,500 tucked along the Oregon coast.
Instead, the two longtime friends — Justin Herbert and Jack Johnson — sat with fathers Mark and Lane and soaked up the atmosphere of the 1285 Restobar and one another over laughs and plates of pasta.
Chargers’ opener vs. Dolphins could be key to 11-win season or impending disaster
The domination was so complete that, down in Miami, they’ve assigned it a proper name:
“The Brandon Staley Plan.”
That’s what a south Florida reporter referenced this week when asking Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel how much he has thought about his team’s 23-17 loss to the Chargers in mid-December at SoFi Stadium.
“The Brandon Staley Plan,” McDaniel repeated, grinning and shaking his head. “It definitely comes up over the course of the offseason, at least 1/17th of the time. You know, divvied up amongst the other games.”
Chargers-Dolphins matchups: Justin Herbert-Kellen Moore offense put to the test
Breaking down how the Chargers and the Miami Dolphins match up heading into their season opener 1:25 p.m. PDT Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The game will be shown on CBS and Paramount+.
When Chargers have the ball
During the preseason, only a handful of projected regulars played. That means this game will bring the first true glimpses of coordinator Kellen Moore’s offense, which has been widely and loudly touted since he was hired in January.
Under Moore, quarterback Justin Herbert is expected to be given the opportunity to take more deep shots as the Chargers search for explosive moments.
“With the players we have, we’re not just out there throwing up prayers hoping someone comes down with it,” wide receiver Mike Williams said. “We’re not playing backyard football. We’re trusting the plan and our quarterback.”